For Richer or Poorer
by blazergrl89
Summary: Post TDK - A new villian comes into play when he doesn't get what he wants. Will Batman/Bruce be able to save a girl who is caught in the middle, that maybe he is falling for? Bruce/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This is my new Batman story, I hope you like it. This first chapter doesn't have any Bruce/Batman, but it'll pick up soon. Love ya'll and happy reading! =)

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I hated dressing up for parties, but at least something good will be happening tonight. Well, make that two good things…money being donated to Gotham High and me getting to see Bruce Wayne in person. Tonight I was invited to a party thrown by the Wayne Enterprise company because for some random reason Bruce Wayne decided to donate one million dollars to Gotham City High School, and most of that money gets spilt between my department, which is the history department, and the science department.

Since I am the newest teacher to come to Gotham High and no one else really wanted to go tonight, they voted me and Mr. Hellfern (Gotham High's Chemistry teacher) to represent the school.

"Ms. King, you are looking quiet lovely tonight," Karl greeted me at my door. I laughed, "Thanks, Karl." Karl Hellfern was my first coworker who I would consider a friend. We were both about the same age, shared the same interests (despite the fact that we both hated the subject that the other teaches), and we both even had similar names: Karl and Karleigh.

"You excited about meeting Mr. Wayne tonight?" Karl teased me as we walked to his car. I had admitted to Karl earlier this week that I had a tiny crush on the playboy billionaire. I laughed and tried to hide my blush, "Please, we probably won't see him; let alone meet him," I said, trying to convince myself more than Karl. He just chuckled as he opened the car door for me.

"I can't wait until we get this money," Karl said excitedly as he drove, "it's going to help so much, not only with the students but with my research as well." I smiled softly while looking out the window, "Karl, just for one night could we _not _talk about science," I joked. He knew I wasn't a big science buff…in fact, I hated science. I never really was good at it…history on the other hand; I could tell you anything at the drop of a hat.

Karl laughed nervously, "Sorry, it's just…you know how excited I am," he said as he tried to calm himself. "Yes yes, I know, but tonight let's _try_ to act like normal people…not the geeks that we truly are," I said with a smile, causing him to laugh. "Agreed."

As we pulled up to the museum, I suddenly felt a rush of inferiority come over me as Karl and I pulled up in his beat-up old Cadillac. I looked out the window in amazement of all the fancy cars and beautiful people.

"Did you suddenly get a feeling that we don't belong here?" I asked Karl. I heard him chuckle nervously, "You read my mind," he said as he gently patted my knee. Ever since I arrived at Gotham High I had always had the feeling the Karl had more-than-friend feelings for me, but I always managed to push them aside. It's not that he wasn't attractive or anything it's just…he wasn't my type.

We pulled up to the valet, "I guess we should hurry up and get this over with," I said as the butterflies in my stomach multiplied. Before walking into the building Karl offered me his arm, "Shall we, milady?" I laughed, trying to cover up the awkwardness that I was feeling, "Sure," I said softly as I linked my arm around his.


	2. Chapter 2

Karl and I walked, together with our arms linked, into the beautifully decorated entrance hall of the Natural Arts Museum. I couldn't help but gasp at all the unbelievable decorations. "This really is amazing," I whispered to Karl. I could hear him softly scoff, "You can do _anything_ with the right amount of money, Ms. King, but of course, you and I wouldn't know that now would we?" he said with a playful smile, causing me to laugh.

"Oh how correct you are, Mr. Hellfern," I said dramatically, causing him to laugh in return. "Now, where shall we go first?" I asked as we looked around the room. Before Karl could reply an old man in a tux came up to us.

"Mr. Hellfern, Ms. King, we have been expecting you," he said with a smile and in a charming English accent. "I'm sorry sir, but…should I know you?" I asked with a laugh, hoping I didn't offend him. He smiled softly at me, "Alfred Pennyworth, madam," he said with a slight head nod, "I am Bruce Wayne's butler. Now that you two are here, could you please come with me?" The man we now knew to be Bruce Wayne's butler turned and led us towards the front of the crowd.

"Looks like Richie-Richie can't even greet his own guests," Karl mumbled bitterly to me. "Shh! We don't need to offend anyone tonight; especially Bruce Wayne or anyone associated with him; be nice," I warned Karl. He replied with an annoyed sigh.

We finally reached the other side of the room where a group of people were gathered around one man. Alfred led Karl and me through the crowd to find that the man surrounded by people was none other than Bruce Wayne.

"Mr. Hellfern," Bruce greeted Karl with a smile and a handshake; Karl put on his fakest smile and accepted Bruce's hand. "And Ms. King," Bruce softly took my hand and placed a light kiss upon it. I had to fight the urge not to giggle like a little school girl, but there was no fighting the blush that immediately rushed to my face. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Bruce said with a charming grin.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Wayne," I said with a shy grin. "No, please call me Bruce," he said. As Bruce spoke I noticed that he was still holding my hand softly in his, until we heard someone clearing their throat beside us.

"Yes, _Bruce_, thank you so much for your donation to our school. It will help tremendously," Karl said as he stepped closer to me. Bruce then let go of my hand.

"We _are _very thankful…Bruce," I paused before remembering to use his first name; the man was pretty intimidating to say the least, "but if you don't mind me asking, why are you so focused on the history and science departments?" I asked curiously. My question seemed to bring about another one of his heart melting smiles.

"Well Ms. King-" he started but I quickly interrupted, "You can call me Karleigh," I smiled confidently this time.

"Well, _Karleigh_," Bruce grinned, "I believe that the science department could always use some more help. There's always something bigger and better that money can help with: computers, researches, et cetera, but the history department is the most underfunded, and it's also my favorite," Bruce explained.

"And why is that Mr. Wa-Bruce," I tried to catch myself, only causing Bruce to chuckle. "I believe that history is important because that is how one learns from mistakes. If we do not examine the past, then how to people expect to have a better future?" Bruce said seriously, not once taking his eyes off of me.

While he spoke, I couldn't help but look into his deep brown eyes; they were mesmerizing. One could see the passion in his eyes while he spoke…until we were rudely interrupted again by another throat clearing.

"Well the whole school is really thankful, Bruce," Karl said, trying his best to be polite. Bruce just nodded with a smile.

"Would you care for a drink, Karleigh?" Bruce asked kindly as a waiter walked by with a platter full of fancy glasses filled with champagne. I was about to open my mouth to accept until – "No, it's a school night. Karleigh and myself actually have to get up in the morning to go to work," Karl rudely answered for me.

I immediately turned to Karl and gave him a death glare. "Oh I'm sorry; it must have slipped my mind. Why don't we just skip to the presentation of the check, shall we?" Bruce asked as he led us up the stairs, above the crowd of people. Karl walked ahead of me and Bruce; I figured now would be the best time to apologize.

"Bruce," I whispered quietly to him as we walked, "I'm sorry about Karl, I don't know what's up his butt tonight. Normally he's a really sweet guy," I tried to explain.

"Don't worry, if some man who I didn't know offered my girlfriend a drink, I'd be jealous too," Bruce smirked. I could feel my jaw drop.

"Oh no! He's not my boyfriend; just friends," I said a little bit too quickly, "and besides, I'm a big girl, if I wanna drink on a school night, then I will," I finished a little more coolly now only to receive a small chuckle from Bruce. I mentally slapped myself for how stupid I probably sounded to him.

"Let's just get this over with," I grumbled more to myself than anyone. I just wanted to get this embarrassing night over with so I could move on with my life and never see Bruce Wayne again.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Ladies and Gentlemen_," Bruce's voice boomed across the hall turning everyone silent, "tonight we are all gathered here for one reason: to help give the young adults of Gotham City a better future." Bruce's opening statement received a thunderous ovation. "And tonight all of you can play a part," Bruce gently grabbed my hand to pull me closer to him; I was followed quickly by Karl, "here are two teachers from Gotham City High School: Mr. Karl Hellfern and Ms. Karleigh King," to my surprise, people started clapping; I couldn't help but smile shyly while looking around the room. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bruce watching me; I gave him a side glance before looking at Karl. He seemed just as embarrassed as I was.

"Mr. Hellfern and Ms. King are with your children every day; helping expand their creativity; helping them learn; helping them to create a better life for themselves. All I ask of you tonight is to please help our community by giving a donation; big or small, anything helps; and together I know that we can make a difference." Another deafening ovation overcame the great hall, but Bruce quickly quieted the audience once more.

"And to show that Wayne Enterprise cares about the future leaders of our community, I would like Gotham City High School to accept this check for one million dollars," Bruce handed me and Karl the oversized check while everyone applauded. Karl and I both smiled while holding the check until I felt Karl pull the check out of my hands. I rolled my eyes quickly, but decided to let him have his way since he was already in such a foul mood tonight.

I took this opportunity to shake Bruce's hand. "Thank you so much," I whispered in his ear so he could hear me over the applause. "Glad I could help," Bruce whispered back in my ear. I shivered as his breath ran softly down my neck.

Suddenly I felt a firm grip on my arm, "Come on, Karleigh; it's getting late, we really should be going," Karl said sternly. I backed away from Bruce quickly because in all honestly Karl's grip on my arm was starting to hurt. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed as I noticed Bruce watching Karl's every move.

"You know, Karl, if Karleigh would like to stay I would be more than happy to take her home for you," Bruce seemed to _tell _Karl more than ask. Karl glared at Bruce, "Fine, would you _like _to stay, Karleigh?" Karl's voice seemed to be a mixture between anger and mockery. I sighed softly; I really didn't want to be here right now with Karl acting this way, and I most definitely didn't want to ride home with him bad mouthing Bruce the entire way either.

"I think…I want to stay; the night's still young Karl. Let's try to have some fun," I told him with a soft smile, trying to calm him down. He scoffed loudly, grabbed my arm and pulled me into him so he could whisper in my ear, "Fine, but when he forgets about taking you home because he meets some gorgeous supermodel, don't call me crying asking for a ride," and with that he roughly released my arm and stomped off down the stairs leaving everything but the check Bruce had just given us.

"Karleigh," Bruce softly said my name, "are you alright?" he asked as I stood there stunned over how Karl had just treated me. I had to fight the tears that were rushing to my eyes. He had never talked to me that way; I had never seen him _act _that way.

"Um, yeah; I'm fine," I said trying to repress a sniffle. "Come with me, I want to show you something," Bruce said quietly as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me towards an empty section of the museum.

We entered a room full of paintings. I couldn't help but wonder what Bruce wanted to show me in this empty dark room. "What are we doing in here, Bruce?" I asked quietly. I was still sort of embarrassed and ashamed of how Karl had acted the entire night.

Bruce gave me a gentle smile, "Nothing really, I just wanted to talk," he said smoothly as he sat down on a bench that was in the room. He patted the seat next to him for me; I accepted. I sat there quietly, twiddling my thumbs like a shy child. I don't know why I was acting like this; normally I was a very confident and outgoing person, but I was just so intimidated by all these wealthy, beautiful people; I guess I just didn't know what to do with myself.

"I'm glad you decided to stay," Bruce said politely, breaking the silence. I couldn't help but smile up at him, "I'm glad I stayed too," I said still somewhat quietly. "You know, Karleigh, you don't have to be so scared of me, I won't bite," Bruce joked, causing me to quietly laugh.

"I'm just…I'm sorry about how Karl was acting. I'm really embarrassed because of it," I found the nerve to explain as I turned to finally face Bruce. I watched as his face hardened immediately.

"I don't mean to sound rude or butt in to something that's none of my business, but I really didn't like the way he was acting around you, Karleigh," Bruce slowly tested the waters.

"Of course you didn't; he was a total jerk to you," I understood where he was coming from completely.

"Karleigh, he wasn't just a jerk to me; I deal with jerks all day long and they never get to me," Bruce gave me a reassuring smile before continuing, "He was treating _you _like a jerk; and that's something that I _do not _put up with," he said firmly.

I remained silent as I remembered how hard Karl gripped my arm and how roughly he released it. "I don't know why he was acting like that. I thought we were pretty good friends, but I guess I don't know him as well as I thought," I admitted sadly. If Karl was truly like this, then I did not want to have anything to do with him.

"I don't mean to tell you what to do, but my advice would be to try to stay away from him from now on. If he acts like that just because you are talking to another man, just think how he would act if you actually were to _date_ another man," Bruce seemed to emphasis the word 'date'. I let out an amused chuckle. If only Bruce knew the real reasons Karl was acting like that…

"I'm sorry Karleigh, but I really don't see anything funny about this," Bruce said seriously, taking me by surprise. I took a deep breath before speaking, "Bruce, it's not the fact that I was talking to a man…it was the fact I was talking to _you_," I explained; this, for some reason brought a grin to Bruce's face.

"Oh, not a fan of me, is he?" Bruce asked as his smile widened. I couldn't help but laugh, "No, not really."

"Well then…I'm glad he's not here anymore, cause only God knows what he would say when I ask you to dance," Bruce asked charmingly as he stood and offered me his arm. I was torn between giggling like a school girl and rolling my eyes; but I settled for a tiny blush and gracefully stood. "I'm glad he's not here either," I winked and accepted his arm. My sudden boost of confidence seemed to take Bruce off guard for a moment, but he quickly recovered with his charming smile that I was becoming oh-so-familiar with.

Bruce and I walked back into the great hall only to find that the party was ending. I tried to cover up the sudden heartbreak I felt realizing that I wouldn't be able to dance with Bruce tonight.

"Seems like I was too late in my proposal," Bruce said as he examined the now almost empty room, "the next party I through, you will come, correct Ms. King? I mean, after all, you do owe me a dance," Bruce asked playfully while looking into my eyes.

I let out a small giggle, "Of course, Mr. Wayne. I would be honored," I said trying my best to be formal now…if that is the game he wants to play. He let out a charming laugh. "Ok, ok; let's get you home, shall we?"

The car ride home was much more comfortable than I had expected. We talked mainly about each of our jobs. Bruce told me about his boring board meetings he had to attend to every so often, while I told him about some of the outlandish acts that some students try to pull during school hours.

We finally arrived at my apartment complex; I was a little ashamed of it. It wasn't special or anything; I could have gotten Bruce to drop me off at the fancier apartments only a block away and walk home, but I really didn't feel like getting mugged tonight, so I just decided to let Bruce see where I really lived.

"I hope to see you again soon," Bruce admitted as we pulled up to my apartment. I smiled softly and gently patted his hand that was rested on the gear shifter of his Lamborghini, "I hope to see you again too Bruce," I told him honestly.

"Remember what I said though, about Karl. Be careful," Bruce said seriously as I opened the door. I nodded, "I will," after I confirmed his wishes, Bruce opened his door as well.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously. He grinned, "I'm walking you to your door, of course." I laughed; he was such a charmer.

"Thank you for everything, Bruce. I really did have a good time tonight…after Karl left and everything," I admitted as I fumbled with my keys. Bruce smiled, "I'm glad you had a nice night," and with that Bruce leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"I'll see you soon, Karleigh. Good night," and with that Bruce was already half way back to his car. I unlocked my door and walked on cloud 9 all the way to my bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

I groaned as I got out of bed; it was 5:30 in the morning and I had to get ready for work. I wasn't really looking forward to going to work today especially because I knew I would see Karl. I could only hope that he's calmed down from last night, but with my luck…probably not.

I did my morning routine: shower, breakfast, coffee, dress, make up, all that good stuff. I was still feeling pretty good, despite the whole Karl situation, because of the impression Bruce Wayne left upon me last night. I didn't honestly think I'd get to meet the guy, but once I did, that little school girl crush I had on him for so long developed into something more. I couldn't wait to see him again. He was nothing like what I expected, but that was a good thing because I was expecting some rich snobby boy who didn't care about anything except what people thought about him…but boy was I wrong. He cared more about me than Karl, someone who I thought was my friend…and yet at that time I had only known Bruce for maybe an hour at most.

Once I was at work, I went straight to my classroom. I didn't hang around in the teachers' lounge like I would normally do because I was trying my best to avoid Karl. I decided to sit at my desk and just grade some papers until the bell rang.

My day was going smoothly until about noon. I was worried about having lunch in the cafeteria because normally Karl and I would eat together, but today I just didn't up to it. I decided to open up a history novel that I had been reading and chow down on my sandwich in my classroom. Once I was done eating I heard a knock at my door. I quickly put my book down and nervously walked to the door.

I was shocked as I opened my door to come face to face with a dozen red roses. "These were delivered here for you, Karleigh," I recognized the voice as Mrs. Katie Smith, the English teacher down the hall. We talked and got along pretty well, but I didn't know if we were considered 'friends' or not.

"Um, thanks," I said as I took the vase from her and walked over to my desk to put it down. Mrs. Smith followed me into my classroom. "Who are they from?" she asked with a giggle. Katie Smith was a couple years older than me, but right now she laughed and giggled like a girl who just got back from her first date.

I smiled as I picked up the card and read it out loud, "Dear Karleigh, I had a great time last night getting to know you better, but there's still so much more I'd like to know. Have dinner with me – tonight – I'll pick you up at 7. Have a wonderful day. –Bruce"

I was speechless. Not only did Bruce Wayne have a good time with me last night, but he wants to get to know me…he wants to take me on a _date_.

"Bruce, huh?" Katie thought out loud, "Bruce…Bruce…Bruce Wayne?!" she squealed. Her high pitched voice brought me back into reality. I smiled brightly and nodded.

"Oh sweetie, tomorrow you have to tell me _everything_. I know you and Karl are good friends, but let's face it…he's a man, and you're gonna need some girl time for this; so tomorrow we'll eat lunch together, sound good?" she smiled. I laughed softly at how excited she was. "Sounds good," I confirmed.

"Um, speaking of Karl, have you seen him today? I've been so busy, I haven't really left my classroom at all," I tried to play it off as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh, he didn't come in today. I don't know what's wrong with him; you two went to Bruce Wayne's party last night right? Did he, you know?" she made the motion of cupping her hand and tilting it upwards like she was drinking. I couldn't help but laugh.

"No; he didn't drink at all. As a matter of fact he just wanted to get the check and get out of there," I told her truthfully.

"Ah, that sounds like Karl. Always wanting that money," she shook her head in disappointment. "What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Oh that's right; you're still somewhat new here. Well, Karl…he's all about money, probably because he's never had any. He wants the school to fund some kind of experiment that he's doing, but we've never really had enough money for it, but now that we're getting all these donations, well, he just might get his chance. The only thing is, is that he won't really tell anyone what he's trying to do, so it's hard to get a grant," Katie explained to me as she sat down in one of the desks.

"That's weird; I know he always talks about how the money would help us, but he never mentioned any experiment to me," I thought out loud.

"Oh, don't take it personal honey; Karl has always been kind of a loner. I figured he clung to you so well at the beginning of the school year because he fancied you," she winked with a smile. Suddenly the bell rang indicating that it was time for classes to start back up again.

"Alright, guess I'd better be going; but don't forget, we have a lunch date tomorrow so we can discuss your date with _Bruce Wayne_," she left the room with her cute high pitched squeal.

The rest of the day I was sort of out-of-it; torn between thoughts of what Karl's experiment might be, and how excited I was to go on my date tonight with Bruce. All my female students for the rest of the day complimented my beautiful red roses that Bruce had sent me and they were dying to know who my secret admirer was. I only laughed and told them to take their seats; I was excited, but not too excited that I forgot what my job was.


	5. Chapter 5

I was getting ready a little early for my date with Bruce just because I was so nervous about how I'd look. I decided to do spiral curls for my hair, light make up, and a simple knee high blue dress that seemed to be the perfect fit for my body type; top it off with silver heels and a simple pearl necklace and I was done. I looked in the mirror, satisfied with how I looked when suddenly there was a knock at my door. I looked down at my watch; I was lucky that I decided to get ready so early because I didn't even realize it was time for Bruce to pick me up.

I nervously walked to the door and opened it to find Bruce standing there with a rose and wearing a suit. "Hi," I greeted him with a smile, until I actually noticed what he was wearing. "Oh no! Am I underdressed? Should I go back in and change?" I asked in a panic. Bruce laughed his charming laugh.

"No, no; you look absolutely perfect," he smiled, "and this is for you, gorgeous," Bruce said as he handed me the rose. I grinned as I happily accepted the rose, "You know," I started as I closed my door and took Bruce's arm as we walked to his car, "someone sent me 12 of these beautiful roses today, while I was at work," I playfully told him.

"Oh really now? Did you like them?" Bruce asked as we reached his car. "Yes, but it was a little embarrassing when one of my coworkers delivered them to me in my classroom," I admitted. Bruce grinned proudly before speaking.

"Wasn't Karl, I hope?" Bruce said with a smirk. "Is that the only reason you sent them, Mr. Wayne?" I asked pulling away slightly and feeling somewhat hurt. I hope this wasn't all some plan just to make Karl upset.

"No, of course not," Bruce said as he twirled me around to look him in the eyes. I looked up into his deep brown eyes as he spoke, "I don't want you to think that's what this is about, Karleigh," he said seriously.

"Good, because it better not be," I said firmly. I was not about to be one of his girls that he just marked off his check list, if you know what I mean. "It's not," he said just as firmly as he gently stroked a piece of hair out of my eyes. "Good," I smiled and walked to my side of the car, only to be followed quickly by Bruce. He quickly reached the door handle before I could and opened the door for me, "Milady," he said charmingly as I sat down in his Lamborghini. I took a deep breath as I waited for him to get inside.

"So, where are we going?" I asked trying to lighten the mood. He smiled, "Oh, just a little Italian place," he said causally. As we drove in silence for a couple minutes, I decided to play with the radio. "What are you doing?" he laughed.

"I can't stand silence," I said as I flipped through the stations. "Ah, I figured since you were around noisy adolescents all day you would enjoy some silence," Bruce offered thoughtfully. I laughed.

"Quite the opposite, Mr. Wayne; because I am around it all day, I can't stand it when there isn't any," I joked somewhat seriously. "The only time I prefer silence is while I'm reading or sleeping," I informed him, receiving a chuckle in response.

Bruce and I finally settled on a station that played classical music, but it didn't last long because we soon reached our destination.

"We're eating here?" I asked astonished. Bruce pulled up to this building where the entrance looked like an entrance to a night club. There were velvets ropes and lines of people that were out the door. Bruce grinned at me, "I own it," he simply stated.

I gasped as we walked inside, my arm wrapped around Bruce's. "Do you like it?" Bruce whispered to me. "It's very…lovely," I said trying to find the right word. It was a little dark, and almost the whole eating area was lit by candles. Everything just looked so fancy, and I sort of felt…out of place.

Bruce thanked the waiter as we were seated in a private area lit by candles as well. "You don't like it," Bruce pointed out randomly. "Like what?" I asked quickly. "This restaurant," he simply said.

"No, no, Bruce; it's beautiful…I just feel…awkward, I guess," I admitted. "Why? What's wrong?" he asked as he leaned forward. I let out a small laugh, "Look at me, Bruce, I don't belong in a place like this. Heck, I can't even pronounce _anything_ on this menu," I joked, but it was the truth. Bruce smiled and gently grabbed my hand that was resting on the table.

"If anyone belongs here, it is you, Karleigh. You seem like such a shy, humble woman, you should be pampered every now and then," Bruce said sincerely. I just smiled and looked down at the table.

"I'll tell you what," Bruce started, causing me to look up at him, "next time, you can pick where we go on a date. Agreed?" he smiled softly. I gently rubbed his hand with my thumb, "Agreed."

Bruce and I had a lovely dinner and were now in the middle of sharing a desert. "So, do you have any siblings, Karleigh?" Bruce asked. We had been taking turns asking questions about each other all night.

"I have an older brother who is a cop in North Carolina," I told him with a smile. I was proud of my brother and loved telling people about his job; how he put his life on the line every day to protect people like Bruce and myself.

"Why doesn't he live here in Gotham?" Bruce asked curiously. "He moved down there _for a girl_," I rolled my eyes jokingly as I finished my statement. "Ah, crazy thing what love will make some people do," Bruce smiled.

"Nah, he was already crazy. He decided to become a cop around the time that Joker guy was running around," as I said this, I noticed Bruce seemed to tighten up a little. "That was…brave of him," Bruce said seriously. I laughed, "No it's ok, you can say it…it was _stupid_ of him," I said with a smile.

"Did he tell you why he wanted to become a cop at that time?" Bruce asked; he seemed truly curious about this topic.

"The Batman," I simply said, "I know some people think he's the devil or something," I laughed, "but my brother really looked up to him." Bruce seemed to relax again once I made my joke. In all truth, Bruce was the first person I've actually ever had this discussion with, outside of my family.

I was always scared that someone would make fun of me or my brother, but in reality, my brother and I both looked up to him.

"And what did _you _think about the Batman?" Bruce asked with a smirk. "I like him…well _liked_; I know people say this horribly stuff about him, but in reality, he couldn't have been that bad if he spent those years saving people," I said passionately.

"But he killed Harvey Dent," Bruce's smile disappeared. I rolled my eyes, "I refuse to believe what these media pigs publish; they just want a story."

"Then how do you think Harvey Dent died?" Bruce asked curiously once more. I shrugged my shoulders, "With how corrupt all these Politian's are there's no telling how he died. I mean, I'm not saying Harvey was a bad man or anything…maybe he just kept bad company. I'm just saying, power gets to people; and I liked how Batman seemed to put people in their place," I ended with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"And what would happen if Batman got too power hungry like the Politian's?" Bruce seemed to totally ignore my joke.

I shrugged, "Then the police would put him in his place; like they are doing now?" I guessed with another eye roll. "The thing is; Batman did more good than bad…if he even did bad at all. Not only did he take crime off the streets, but he inspired people like my brother to stand up and make a difference. But now that he's gone, things are going back just to how they use to be," I finished sadly. Bruce remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" I asked softly, trying to get Bruce to talk. I really wasn't sure what his opinion of Batman was by this conversation, but all that matters is that he didn't laugh in my face.

Bruce looked up into my eyes as he spoke, "Maybe."


	6. Chapter 6

It was now the end of the night; I know that I had a wonderful time but I wasn't quite sure about Bruce; sometimes it was so hard to read his emotions. We slowly pulled up to my apartment complex in the dead of night. We walked together to the front entrance of my building. Bruce had let me borrow his jacket since it had gotten so cold in the past couple of hours.

"I had a wonderful night, Karleigh," Bruce smiled down at me. "I did too; thank you for such a great evening," I told him truthfully, wearing a smile of my own now. "I hope that restaurant didn't scare you off from seeing me again," Bruce said as he leaned in closer to me. I laughed softly, "It didn't, but remember, next time _I _get to pick, ok?"

Bruce laughed and nodded, "I'm glad there will be a next time," he said sincerely as he leaned in closer still; I looked up into his beautiful brown eyes right before he softly kissed my lips. The kiss was sweet and gentle and not too long, but it wasn't a short peck on the lips either.

We both pulled away wearing smiles, "Goodnight, Bruce" I said softly as I slipped into my building, leaving Bruce wearing his charming grin that I grew to love more and more each time I saw it.

While walking to my apartment I noticed that two other men had slipped into the building and were walking behind me. I didn't think much of it because at that moment I was too distracted by the wonderful night that I had just had with Bruce Wayne.

I aimlessly unlocked my door and went into my apartment, immediately locking it; it was a good habit to have in this city. I went to my room to change and I quickly realized that I still had Bruce's jacket. I laid it out on a chair neatly and then went back to finish changing; as soon as I slipped on a pair of shorts under my dress, a knock came at my door. It must have been Bruce coming back for his jacket, so I grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

As soon as I opened the door, I was violently pushed back as the two men I saw before in the hallway rushed into my apartment. The bigger one immediately grabbed me and put his filthy hand over my mouth but not before I let out one ear-piercing scream, hoping someone heard me.

"Shut up," he roughly demanded, still holding me tightly. I watched helplessly as the smaller guy ransacked my living-room. "There's nothing really _that _valuable here, Mitchy," the smaller guy said while looking through all my things.

"There has to be; she was out with _Bruce Wayne_," the bigger guy, I now knew as Mitchy, said as if he were disgusted to even speak Bruce's name. These men must have watched Bruce drop me off and thought that I'd be rich or something…ha-ha were they out of luck.

"Karleigh," I heard all of a sudden, "you forgot your-" Bruce stopped talking immediately as saw me the doorway and realized what was happening.

"Well, well; look what we have here," the bigger guy, Mitchy, said as he let go of me and started walking towards Bruce. "Tommy, get the girl," he ordered as he continued to slowly walk towards Bruce. I instantly felt the smaller guy wrap his arms around my waist and cackle in my ear; I shivered with disgust.

"Let her go and get out," Bruce ordered firmly, with a glare, in a demanding voice that I had never heard before. I felt the guy who was holding me pull out a knife and hold it against me. Both of the men laughed, "We'll let her go…for a _price_," the big guy said as he stood directly in front of Bruce.

"No, you'll let her go _now_," Bruce finished his statement with a damaging punch to the big guy's face. I gasped as I saw him fall to the floor and hit his head on the edge of my fireplace. The smaller guy who was holding me let go, and rushed towards Bruce with his knife.

I watched, too terrified to move, as Bruce grabbed the man's arm that was holding the knife and twisted it almost backwards until the man dropped it. Bruce finished him off with one punch. I was knocked back into reality once I saw the little guy hit the ground; I figured it was my turn to help so I ran to the kitchen to get some rope to tie the guys up with. I immediately returned, giving it to Bruce and quickly called the police.

It didn't take long for the police to respond and get the two burglars out of my home. "Are you going to be ok, Karleigh?" Bruce asked me, his voice full of concern. The whole time while waiting for the cops to arrive Bruce held me in his arms.

"I...uh…I…yeah, I'll be fine," I said trying to convey some confidence, but I don't think it came out the way I wanted it. "Would it make you feel more comfortable for me to stay here with you tonight?" Bruce asked as he gently ran his hand through my hair comfortingly.

"Oh, Bruce, I couldn't ask you to do that. You go home and get some rest, I'll be fine," I said as I gently took his hand that was in my hair and held it in my own. Bruce paused to look in my eyes; looking for the truth. They betrayed me…

"I don't believe you, if you don't feel comfortable with me staying, I understand; I'll respect your wishes," Bruce said as we walked towards the door. He leaned down to gently kiss my lips, "Be safe," he whispered with his hand softly on my cheek; and just like that, he was out the door. A sudden fear overtook my body as soon as Bruce walked out my door.

It didn't take long; Bruce had just gotten to the end of the hallway when I opened the door and yelled his name. He turned around and quickly walked back to me. "Don't go," I said softly, still a little shaken up by the whole ordeal. Bruce gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked back into my apartment and sat together on the couch.

Bruce and I had been watching T.V. for awhile but I just couldn't seem to get my mind off of what just happened. "Bruce?" I whispered as I looked up at him. "Yes?" he asked with a soft smile, looking down at me.

"Where did you learn how to fight like that?" I asked thinking back on how he took on the guy with a knife. "Oh, well; it helps to study martial arts when you live in a city like this," Bruce grinned at me.

"You were very brave," I told him honestly. His smile softened, "Of course I was; you were in danger, something had to be done," he said as he gently stroked my cheek. "Thank you," I whispered, as I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him an affectionate hug.

We continued to silently, but comfortably watch television until eventually I fell asleep cuddled up in Bruce's warm embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

I awoke the next morning, on the couch all alone covered with a blanket, to my cell phone ringing. "Hello?" I answered groggily. "Karleigh!" I heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end, "its Katie from school. I heard what happened?! Are you alright sweetie?" she asked worriedly.

"Uh, yeah; thanks, but what are you talking about?" I asked; I was rather confused at the moment. There was so much going on and I had just woken up. Did last night actually happen? Where was Bruce?

"Someone breaking into your home last night after your date with Bruce Wayne!" she exclaimed. "Oh," I said softly; so everything did happen.

"He called to inform the school that you wouldn't be able to make it in today and he explained what happened, so _naturally _it's all over school. Even some students know," she further explained. I sighed, "Oh great…wait, does Karl know?" I asked worriedly.

Silence.

"Katie?" I asked even more distressed now. "Um, yes sweetie, he heard. He's, uh, he's not too happy about it either," she said quietly. I groaned into the phone.

I could hear the school bell ring in the background, "Oh, I have to go now Karleigh, but if you need anything, don't be afraid to call me sweetie. See you tomorrow," she said hurriedly. "Bye," I said, smiling for a moment, realizing that Katie and I were actually friends now.

I sighed tiredly as I got up to look for Bruce. He had fallen asleep here last night didn't he? The last thing I remember was watching T.V. with him. I hope he didn't get his feelings hurt or feel uncomfortable with me falling asleep on him.

As I started to worry to myself, I looked around the room until I finally found a small note on the coffee table.

"_Karleigh,_

_I'm sorry I had to go in the middle of the night; there was something I had to do, but don't worry I will be back later to check on you. I called your school to inform them that you will not be making it to work today; I hope you're not mad about that, but I thought you needed a day off after what happened last night. And don't worry, I made sure to lock all your windows and doors before I left._

_P.S. You're beautiful…even while you're sleeping."_

Despite everything that happened last night and even the fact that Bruce wasn't there when I woke up, his letter easily made me smile. He was such a charmer and I was definitely the type a girl to go for it.

I happily got in the shower and did my morning routines as usual, but this time I actually got to watch T.V. while I had my breakfast, since I didn't have to rush out the door and go to work today. I sat down on my couch and turned on the T.V. Every local station was playing the same thing, so I decided to turn up the volume to see what all the fuss what about…

"_Yes, yes; it's true…The Batman has returned,_" the news anchor said, "_many witnesses claim that they saw the vigilante last night in the early morning hours. It has been over two years since the last sighting of The Batman and it has been rumored that he was the actual cause of former District Attorney, Harvey Dent's death._"

I scoffed at the end of the news anchor's statement as I turned off the T.V. That was a load of bull; people thinking that The Batman could kill someone. I was too caught up in all my anger to actually realize what the New Channel had just informed me…The Batman was back!

Once all my anger subsided, all I could feel was excitement. Soon things would start getting better, like they were before that Joker dude came around. Batman could easily take down the mobsters and low down criminals that plagued our streets. Heck, if Batman was around just a week ago, I bet those burglars wouldn't have even tried to break into my apartment.

Things would start to get better, I just knew it…like the phrase goes, "Thing's have to get worse before they can get better."


	8. Chapter 8

Hey y'all! I just wanna give a shout out to jinkazama1992 - she's a new writer on here and you should definitely check out her story...plus she's just a sweetheart! Anyways, I hope y'all are liking the story; please leave me some more comments and let me know what y'all are thinking =) Love y'all!

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Later that night, Bruce came back by my apartment to check up on me just like he said he would. I offered him to stay for dinner and he gladly accepted. We decided on pizza, and Bruce shamefully admitted that he had never made one; so of course, I made him help me. It was fun and I think Bruce really enjoyed himself.

"Did you hear the good news?" I asked while we both sat at my dinner table eating our homemade pizza. "What news?" he asked curiously. "Batman is back," I smiled happily. Bruce instantly put his slice down, "No, I didn't hear that," he said as he wiped his hands on his napkin.

"Yeah, too bad he was a little late getting around to us last night, huh?" I joked. To my surprise, Bruce chuckled. He was normally so serious when we talked about Batman. "Yeah, maybe he had better things to do like go buy a new cape; that one he had was so last year," he said with a smirk. I couldn't help but laugh despite how much I really liked Batman.

The night seemed to fly by and it was now time for Bruce to leave. I walked him to the door, "Can't you stay a little while longer?" I whined causing him to softly smile. "I wish I could, but I have to go over some papers tonight. I have one of those boring board meetings that I told you about, in the morning," Bruce explained as we reached the door. I frowned, but stayed silent.

Bruce leaned down and gave me one last kiss for the night. "Don't be afraid to call me if you need anything," he said seriously. I nodded, "Goodnight, Bruce," he kissed me once more, said goodbye, and was out the door.

The next morning, I was totally refreshed thanks to my day off. I decided to go into the teachers' lounge to look for Katie so I could talk to her for awhile before classes started. I walked in to find Karl sitting with the principal talking quietly about something serious. I silently walked over to the coffee pot, grabbed me a cup, and walked out the door before hopefully either one of them paid attention to me.

I, unfortunately, didn't get to talk to Katie before classes, so I would just have to wait a couple more hours until lunch rolled around. It seemed like it took forever for lunch to arrive; I guess now I could finally understand why my students were always so impatient with me around noon-ish.

I walked into the cafeteria and looked at the teachers' table; only Katie and Karl were there…I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. "Karleigh!" Katie waved me over with a smile; I returned her smile and walked over to take a seat.

I decided to sit down next to Karl; maybe he had had some time to cool down. "Hey stranger," I said with a smile as I nudged him lightly. He just looked at me blankly, and then got up to put his tray away and leave the cafeteria.

"What was that all about?" I asked, hurt that someone who I thought was my friend would treat me so coldly. She rolled her eyes, "I dunno, something about him still not getting his grant even though the school could probably afford it now," she explained.

"Well why won't he get it? And why did he have to take it out on me?" I asked still confused.

"He wants to do some kind of chemical experiments; I don't know really; some kind of science junk," she laughed, "and I have no idea why he took it out on you like that. Probably still jealous of…_Bruce Wayne_," she giggled. "By the way, tell me everything," she said excitedly.

"Can I take a rain check, Katie? I think I need to go talk to Karl, but how about I call you tonight?" I gave her a friendly smile. I just found this woman as a friend, I didn't want her to think I was blowing her off or anything; I was just really worried about Karl. She smiled softly, "Of course, I understand; but I better get that call tonight, missy," she laughed. I agreed and quickly left to go find Karl.

When I finally found Karl he was in the chemistry lab. I knocked softly, but he didn't turn around, so I just walked in.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely as he heard me come in. I placed my arms on my hips, "I want to know what's up your butt lately," I said firmly. He let out a bitter laugh that I've never heard before. "And why do you care anything about me?" he asked as he turned his chair around to face me.

"Gee, I dunno, because I thought we were _friends_," I said, still holding my ground. "Ha, 'friends.' Now tell me, Karleigh, if I were rich like say…Bruce Wayne, would we still be friends then?" he asked. I squinted my eyes so I could get a better look at Karl's face. He had deep dark circles under his eyes.

"I guess that would depend on if _you_ wanted to be friends with some poor teacher like me," I said calmly. "What I mean is," Karl said deeply, "if I were rich like _your boyfriend_, would we still be friends or would I then be worthy enough for you then?" he asked bitterly.

"Karl is that what all this is about?" I asked softly, "Bruce being wealthy has nothing to do with my attraction towards him, and I thought you knew that. You knew that I had a crush on him before we even went to that party," I tried to explain.

"Exactly! How else could you have a crush on him without even knowing him, if it wasn't for his money?" Karl asked. I was appalled. What kind of woman did he think me to be?

"Because he's cute, duh," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Karl quickly got up from his desk and stormed over to me. He roughly grabbed the upper parts of my arms and held on tightly, "And am _I _not cute enough for you?" he asked while looking me deeply in the eyes.

I started to squirm. Karl's grip on my arms was killing me and I was scared…mainly because I didn't know what to say without upsetting him even more.

"Karl, you are cute, but I see you more as a friend. Why isn't that enough for you?" I asked sadly. He gave my arms one last tightening squeeze before pushing me away from him and storming out room.

Whatever was up his butt…I didn't think it was going anywhere anytime soon.


	9. Chapter 9

That afternoon right when I got home, I changed out of my 'professional' clothing into a fitted t-shirt and some jeans. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had faint marks on my arms from Karl's grip earlier today. I sighed and brushed it off as I picked up the phone to call Katie and give her all the details about mine and Bruce's date. She was so excited, and just so cute as she giggled and squealed like a teenager on the other end.

I was still on the phone with Katie when I heard a knock at my door. I looked through the peephole to see Bruce standing there. I opened the door with a smile and motioned for him to come in, while I still had Katie on the phone. "Hey, Katie, I need to go; I have some company," I told her, trying to get her off the phone. Bruce silently kissed my cheek and walked in taking a seat on my couch.

"Alright, but would you mind coming over later? Jake is going out with his friends later and I really don't want to be alone; especially after hearing what happened to you the other night," she asked seriously.

"Of course," there was no way I would make Katie stay by herself, especially since she was so use to being with her boyfriend all the time, "I'll give you a call before leaving. See you later," we then both said our goodbyes.

"Hey," I greeted Bruce happily as I plopped down on the couch next to him, "what are you doing here?" I asked curiously. "What? I can't just stop by to see your beautiful face?" Bruce asked innocently. I gave him a 'mhmm…sure' kind of smile.

"Who was that on the phone?" he asked curiously. "Oh, it was a friend from work. I'm going to her place tonight while her boyfriend goes out. I think she's kind of nervous about being home alone," I explained. He nodded in comprehension.

Bruce and I continued to talk for awhile until he finally noticed my arms, which I had forgotten all about.

"What happened to you?" Bruce demanded as he gently lifted the sleeves on my shirt to get a better look; I watched silently as he did. "Those are handprints," he said angrily.

"Uh, yeah…Karl accidently did it at work today," I explained quietly. "Karl?" Bruce exclaimed loudly as he stood up from the couch, "he did that to you _at work_?" his voice didn't decrease any.

"Tell me everything," Bruce said while squatting down in front of me and taking my hands in his. "He's just jealous of you. He grabbed my arms when he was asking me why I wasn't attracted to him…I guess his anger just got the best of him," I explained without really wanting to tell Bruce the whole truth about the conversation between me and Karl.

Bruce's eyes narrowed while I explained; I noticed his eyes never seemed to leave the marks on my arms. "You think he hates me now, just wait until I get him fired for this," Bruce said angrily as he quickly stood up and pulled out his cell.

"No, Bruce, don't; it'll only make things worse," I said as I grabbed the phone from his hands. "Just give him some time to get use to the fact that you and I are dating and I'm sure he'll go back to the way he use to be," I said, probably giving Karl more credit than he deserved.

"My girlfriend is not going to be _harassed_ at work," he said, still angry. I couldn't help but smile as he called me his girlfriend. "Karleigh, it's not funny," Bruce said seriously as soon as he saw my smile. I sighed softly, "I know, Bruce, but please…let me handle this on my own. I'm a big girl remember?" I smiled, "I can take care of myself." Bruce did not look pleased.

"If you could then how come you didn't take care of it right when he grabbed you? Don't you know what could have happened to you, Karleigh?" Bruce's voice softened slightly. I reached up to gently touch his cheek, "I'm fine," I said firmly, "and I'll _be_ fine, ok? Don't worry about me," I said comfortingly. Bruce remained silent for a couple minutes until an alarm on his watch went off.

"I need to go," he said suddenly as he walked to the door. "Wait!" I hollered after him, "I know you're mad Bruce, but you're just going to walk out like that?" I asked, truly hurt by how he was acting. His facial features softened as he walked over to me and gave me a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Be careful tonight," was all he said before walking out the door.

Tears stung my eyes. Fine if he wanted to play the game that way then we'll see how he likes it when I don't answer my phone. I immediately called Katie to let her know I was on my way, then turned off my cell phone and threw it on the couch. I grabbed my coat, let out a bitter scoff as I looked at my phone one last time and then was out the door.

Katie and I had been watching chick flicks, having girl talk, and munching on snacks all night long; you know, doing what girls do; and I had to admit that I was having a ball, despite how Bruce treated me just a few hours earlier. I told her about Karl leaving the marks on my arms and Bruce's reaction and how he had just left before I came to her place. She listened and sympathized, which is what I really wanted at the time.

A couple hours into our girl's night, Katie's cell phone rang. Turns out, her boyfriend, Jake got pulled over for a DUI and Katie had to leave to go get him.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry; do you mind if we pick him up before dropping you off at your place?" she asked as she informed me of our girl's night getting cut short.

"No, no; don't you worry about me," I told her, "it's not that far of a walk, and besides I did walk here. You just go get Jake and make sure he's alright."

I knew they were going to get into a big fight once Jake got home, so I really didn't want to cause her any more trouble tonight. She hugged me tightly, "Be careful and call me if you need anything," she said sincerely before we both headed our separate ways. I wasn't about to tell her that I didn't have my cell phone…


	10. Chapter 10

It was a cold night and of course, with my luck, it started to rain on my way home. I groaned as I picked up my pace and started to jog back to my apartment. It wasn't too late in the night, so I wasn't all that worried but I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

While I was jogging, I guess I wasn't really paying that much attention to where I was going, because all of a sudden I felt myself trip over something and I fell to the ground landing on my hands and knees. I rolled over to sit on my butt so I could examine the damage; my jeans were ripped and bloody, and my hands were all scuffed up. Tears instinctively rushed to my eyes as a reaction to the pain.

I groaned as I slowly stood up, only to come face to face with two creepy looking men. They eyed me up and down then slowly started walking my way. I tried to high-tail it out of there by immediately turning my previous jog into a full on sprint, but with my hurt knees I wasn't as fast as I normally would be, and they eventually caught up to me.

One guy grabbed me by the back of my jacket and dragged me into an alleyway; where I let out the loudest scream I could possibly muster up. I felt the guy behind me pull my arms behind my back as the other guy walked in front of me and started to unzip my jacket.

"Stop it, you pervert!" I screamed loudly as I raised one of my legs and kneed him where the sun don't shine. My leg screamed with pain, but the adrenaline overtook my body. The man fell to the ground in agony as the other one laughed and turned me around to face him.

"That's fine, sweet lips; more for me," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I screamed and struggled, getting in a few punches, but nothing too damaging to stop him. "Help!" I screamed, "anyone!" I finished in a pleading voice, as the tears in my eyes started falling.

I could feel the creepy man's hands all over my body and I thought for sure something horrible was about to happen until out of the blue, I felt myself being pulled out of creepy man's arms and shoved towards the other side of the alley.

I turned around quickly to see what had happened and there he was…Batman; the Dark Knight himself. He pounded the two creepy guys to a pulp as I propped myself up against the side of the opposite building. I breathed heavily, still in somewhat of a shock, as the tears kept rolling down my cheeks.

It didn't take long for Batman to have both the men apprehended, and then to my surprise, he turned around and started walking towards me. I had always been a fan of the Batman and defended him when people bad-mouthed him, but I had to admit he was pretty scary while coming directly towards you.

"What are you doing out here?" he demanded in a deep scratchy voice. I couldn't respond…I couldn't even move. It had gotten even colder now that I was soaking wet, and I was shaking, due to probably the cold _and _being terrified. Everything was just happening so fast and all I wanted to do was go home and crawl into my nice warm bed.

"I…uh…walking home," I whispered while looking down; I was too intimidated to look him in the eye.

"Alone?" his voice boomed. "Do you have a death wish?" he questioned me like a child. I finally found the nerve to look up into his dark eyes. His eyes didn't look as scary as I thought they would; in fact, they showed concern.

"I just wanted to get home," I sobbed out. I was still a crying, shaking mess. "Go home," he ordered me. I swear I could hear his voice soften slightly, "I'll make sure you get there safely." Even though he promised I would be safe, I still couldn't seem to move.

"Go," he ordered more firmly. This time his order seemed to knock me back into reality. I nodded obediently and quickly set off on my way.

I made it home in record time, running the whole way, despite how badly my knees were hurting. I locked the door as soon as I entered my apartment, and that's when it happened… I turned around, placed my back against the door, slid down, and just sobbed. I broke down; crying on the floor right in front of my door not giving a damn if anyone could hear me or not.

I hugged my knees to my chest just wishing that Bruce could be here to hold me like he did the night my apartment had gotten broken into, but my stupid pride wouldn't let me. I couldn't call him…especially after the way he treated me earlier tonight.

I inhaled deeply as I forced myself to get up off the floor and head into the bathroom to clean my cuts and scrapes. I changed into a pair of lounge shorts and a tanktop after I washed up, and not long after that I decided to crawl into bed.

For about an hour I tossed and turned in my bed, until I heard a loud knocking at my door. I quickly got up and grabbed a baseball bat that I kept in my closet. I slowly walked to the door with bat in hand and then looked through the peephole. It was Bruce…

I leaned the bat against the wall then turned on the lamp next to the door and opened it. "Bruce, what are you doing here? It's almost 3 in the morning," I stated as I crossed my arms, not letting him inside.

"I've been trying to call you for _hours_ now but it just kept going to your voicemail. I was worried," he said softly. I wanted to be mean and remind him of what I said earlier, "I'm a big girl remember…," but I didn't say that. It would have been a lie. Obviously I couldn't take care of myself. This week alone I had been saved twice; once by Bruce and the other by Batman.

I lost it again; I broke down into sobs right there in front of Bruce. "Karleigh, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously as he took me into his arms, then closed the door and locked it. I leaned into his strong embrace as he walked me over to the couch.

"On my way home," I tried to explain through my tears, "two men attacked me," I managed to get out. Bruce gently wiped tears from my cheeks. "You walked home _alone_?" he questioned me gently. I could tell he was upset, but he was trying to be as gentle with me as possible.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed out, "I know I shouldn't have, but it's not that far of a walk and…_I just wanted to get home_," I whimpered as I looked away from Bruce and down at my hands. I hated this…I hated feeling like a child.

Bruce gently lifted my chin forcing me to look up into his eyes. "You're safe now. I'm here," he whispered as he kissed my forehead. His words instantly made me feel better, but there was still one thing I had to tell him.

"Batman saved me," I said quietly as Bruce's lips left my forehead. He slightly moved back so he could see my face. "Batman?" he questioned. I could only nod.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Bruce asked softly.

"I was walking home when two men pulled me into an alley…they were _touching _me," I shivered slightly, "but suddenly Batman was there; like he came out of nowhere. He beat up the guys and then told me to go home. He promised that I would be ok, though while on my way…I guess he followed me, or something; I really don't know."

Bruce nodded and for a split second I thought I imagined a smile upon his lips, but as soon as I blinked it was gone. "Well, I'm glad he was there to protect you."

Bruce stayed there with me for awhile until soon I couldn't even hold my eyes open. "Come on, Karleigh, you need to go to bed," he said as he easily lifted me off the couch and carried me to my bed. I snuggled into his warm embrace as he walked to my bedroom. Bruce gently laid me down on my bed and softly kissed my lips.

"I'm scared," I whispered as I felt Bruce slowly pull away. "Don't worry; Batman is out there keeping everyone safe. You'll be alright tonight, I promise; now get some rest," I could feel Bruce's gentle caress on my cheek, and just like that…I was out like a light.


	11. Update

Hey y'all! I'm so sorry I haven't updated recently, but I've just been so busy with school and all. Next week is finals, but after that I promise I will start updating again. Thanks for being so patient and I love y'all! Hope y'all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


	12. Chapter 12

I awoke in morning feeling exhausted after everything that happened last night, but I knew I had to go to work this morning; I had already missed one day this week, I can't miss another. I slowly moved as I got dressed and ready for work. Not only was I tired, but my body was sore too. It took 3 cups of coffee and two Advil pills to even get me out the door.

I arrived at school right on time and went directly to my classroom. Today I decided to do something that normally I would never do…I let my students watch a movie. There was no word to describe how excited my students were when they found out they were watching a movie.

It wasn't long before lunch rolled around and I could finally tell Katie about Batman saving me last night. I walked up to the table we shared with Karl, but thankfully he wasn't there today. I sat down next to Katie. She looked up and I noticed she had tears in her eyes.

"Katie, what's wrong?" my question just seemed to make her cry harder. "You mean, you haven't heard? Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," she hugged me and continued to cry. "What? Why? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Karl," she sniffled, my heart suddenly dropped, "there was an accident," was all she could get out before another wave of tears came over her. My heart ached, but for some reason…tears didn't come to my eyes.

"What kind of accident?" I asked slowly. She shook her head; a motion for her not wanting to talk about it, but another teacher who I wasn't really familiar with came and sat down at our table.

"You talking about Karl?" he asked; I think his name was Johnny Peterson. "Yes; what happened?" I asked quickly, "What kind of accident?" The other teacher leaned closer to me so he could speak quietly.

"You know how Karl wanted some of the school's new money so he could do some of his chemical experiments? First off, he _took _the money from the school's bank account because they wouldn't give him a grant, and then once he mixed all these chemicals, some kind of accident happened…_an explosion_. Blew his house to hell and back…his body wasn't found. They think it disintegrated in the explosion," Mr. Peterson explained with almost no remorse. I didn't think he was found of Karl…to be honest, not many people were.

"Oh my God," I gasped, but once again and to my surprise, tears did not appear. I was still pretty mad at him for hurting me, but I didn't want the man dead or anything.

"Karleigh, why aren't you crying? You were the one closest to him," Katie sniffled out. I nodded, "I know…maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet?" I tried to make up an excuse for myself. Truth be told, I really didn't know why I wasn't crying. I just had this sick feeling in my stomach, "Excuse me for a moment," I said as I rushed to the bathroom.

I washed my face then looked up into the mirror at my reflection. I didn't see some empty person with no soul; so why couldn't I cry for Karl? I couldn't even make myself cry for him.

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur. Soon the students were gossiping over why Mr. Hellfern wasn't at school…sick, fired, transferred…but not once did I hear the possibility of death…oh, to be young and innocent when death doesn't even cross one's mind…


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! This is is kinda short (like the last one) but the next chapter will pick the story back up! You have my word =)

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That evening once I finally got home, I noticed there was a letter waiting for me outside my door. I pulled it down, and quickly walked inside so I could read it. I threw my bags down on the couch and walked to the kitchen, while opening my letter.

"_Ms. Karleigh King,_

_You are cordially invited to attend the opening night of Gotham City's new and improved Museum of Natural History. Thanks to Mr. Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprise for their generous donations we have been able to update and remodel our beloved museum to fit in with today's modern culture. We hope to see you, our guest, this Friday night at 7:00pm. _

_-Gotham City's Museum of Natural History"_

I reread the invitation over and over again before I even realized that tomorrow was the event. I didn't know if I could make it; I really didn't have anything to wear to this sort of occasion. I threw the letter down on the kitchen table and was just going to forget about it until I saw there was hand writing on the back…

"_I know its a little short notice, but I would be greatly appreciative if you would accompany me to this event. I will make it a night you'll never forget._

_-Bruce"_

Well, I wasn't going to go, but I just _had_ to see Bruce's note, didn't I? I sighed as I walked to my closet to look for something to wear. After about an hour and 20 outfits later, I found the perfect dress…the _little black dress_. The only thing I was nervous about was the fact that I hadn't worn it in so long. I didn't know if I was 'too old' to wear it anymore, or heck, even if I still fit into it.

I took my dress to the bathroom to try it on and it looked just as perfect, if not more, than the last time I had worn it. Let's just say that now I had the _assets_ to pull it off better than I had two years ago. I quickly changed back into my regular clothes, so I could wash the dress and get it ready for tomorrow.

Bruce had called me later that night to tell me that he wouldn't be able to come over tonight; something about a big meeting in the morning that he had to get ready for.

"_I'm really sorry I couldn't make it over there tonight, but I'm just swamped with work that I need to get done before that party tomorrow at the museum,"_ Bruce said over the phone.

"Oh it's no problem, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about before you go tonight," I started out slowly.

"_What is it? Are you alright?_" Bruce asked worriedly.

"No, no; I'm fine, but today I found out that…Karl died," I finished in almost a whisper.

"_He died? How?_" Bruce asked calmly.

"They said it was some kind of chemical explosion. They couldn't find his body though," I explained.

"_Hmm that's strange. Are you alright?_"

"Yeah; I just…I couldn't cry for him, Bruce. Does that make me a bad person?" I hope he wouldn't think less of me.

"_Karleigh, the man had just bruised your body…I don't blame you for not crying,_" Bruce said bluntly. I sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Ok, I'll let you go get to work. I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked only to receive a small chuckle at the other end.

"_I'll be there around 6:30 tomorrow evening. Have a good night; lock your doors,_" Bruce finished seriously.

"Yes sir," I said lightly before telling him good night. Immediately I got up to lock my doors, changed and then crawled into bed for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

It was now the night of the party as I rushed around my apartment trying to get ready before Bruce arrived. I had finished my makeup and hair, now all I had to do was slip into my dress.

As I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the woman standing in front of me. This woman was beautiful with long curled locks of hair, perfect natural looking makeup, and a form fitting black dress that looked as if it was made just for her. There was no way this was me…

I haven't truly felt beautiful like this since high school; always having to dress in professional, modest clothing for my job…always having to be a _teacher_, but tonight I felt like a woman – a beautiful woman at that. I slipped on a pair of black heels to match the dress, grabbed a clutch bag and walked to my living room to wait on Bruce.

It wasn't even 10 minutes later that Bruce arrived. I grabbed my clutch and answered the door. "Hi," I smiled brightly as I kissed his cheek.

"Whoa, Karleigh, you look," Bruce stared as if trying to find the words. "Not like a teacher?" I suggested with a small nervous laugh. This knocked Bruce back into reality.

"Like the most beautiful woman I ever laid my eyes on," he said as he lightly kissed the back of my hand, causing me to blush.

"Oh, knock it off," I laughed as I pushed by him to get out the door.

"Wait," Bruce said urgently after he closed my door and raced to catch up with me. I stopped immediately and waited for him. "I have something for you," Bruce said as he dug something out of his coat pocket.

"Bruce, you shouldn't have gotten me anything," I said truthfully.

"I wanted to," he smiled as he handed me a small rectangular box to open. I opened it to find a beautiful single diamond on the end of a silver chain. I couldn't help but gasp at how stunning the necklace was.

"It's gorgeous, Bruce," I told him honestly as I looked up into his eyes. He smiled sincerely, "Turn around," he said softly. I did as he asked, and stood there as he took the necklace out of my hands and placed it around my neck.

"I'm sorry," Bruce said as I turned around to show off his gift. "What? What's wrong?" I couldn't help but worry that I had hurt the necklace or something.

"It's just…that necklace is nothing compared to your beauty," Bruce said as he leaned in to peck my lips. I could feel my cheeks burn slightly with a blush. "Let's go," I said with a huge grin and a firm grasp on Bruce's hand, leading him to the car.

"Thank you for my necklace," I told Bruce as he drove. I couldn't help but admire the beauty of it every so often as we drove. He would just laugh and tell me that he was glad I liked it.

We soon pulled up to the museum and got out of the car. Bruce escorted me inside the building, and boy was this museum amazing. It definitely was not your everyday run-of-the-mil museum. The building was just gorgeous.

"I thought you'd like it," Bruce said as he watched me admiring the building.

"It's amazing; and you helped them do this?" I asked while still looking around. Bruce just smiled proudly and led me around the room to meet some of his colleagues. I was having such a great time, and I was so glad that I decided to go tonight.

"Now, I do believe it's time for that dance you owe me," Bruce smirked as he pulled me into him.

"You're such a charmer, Bruce Wayne," I said playfully as we slowly danced. He chuckled softly. I loved to hear his laugh. It was such a rare occasion, so when I heard it I tried to treasure every moment.

I laid my head on his shoulder as the dancing became more casual, and soon it was just our bodies rocking back and forth with one another's. I sighed contently, believing that I could stay that way forever, but of course all good things must come to an end…

Our dance was interrupted by a loud crashing sound then glass raining down from the ceiling. "What's going on?" I tried to yell to Bruce over the sound of panicky screams.

"I don't know, but come with me," he said firmly as he grabbed my arm and rushed me over to two of his friends that I had met earlier that night: his butler, Alfred Pennyworth and coworker Lucius Fox.

"Stay here," Bruce said seriously before giving me a peck on the cheek and rushing into the crowd of frightened people.

"Bruce!" I screamed after him, but Alfred and Mr. Fox held me firmly in place.

"You must stay here with us, Ms. King," Alfred told me calmly.

"Yes, you are safe with us, Ms. King, or else Mr. Wayne would not have left you here," Mr. Fox said as all three of us moved under the grand stairway for safety.

"But what about Bruce?" I demanded, "Where is he going?"

"Mater Bruce can take care of himself, dear, that I can assure you of," Alfred said in his calm voice.

Alfred's soothing calm voice was soon drowned out by the sound of an unnatural deep laughter. It was the kind of sound that made one shiver down to the bone. Everyone looked around, but no one could see anything. The room had started to fill up with smoke, and everything was getting quite hazy.

"Well well, Gotham is having a party without me?" a deep raspy voice came from the center of the smog. The circle of fog was quickly surrounded by Gotham City's finest.

"Who are you?" one of the cops demanded. The bone shivering laugh sounded again.

"Don't you worry about _who I am_, all I'm worried about is who _you aren't_," the raspy voice rang out.

"What do you want?" another police officer demanded.

"_Justice!_" the voice yelled, causing the whole room to shake. Slowly the smog ceased, finally revealing the man in the center of the room. Some women let out small gasps as the man was revealed…

It was a man; a man with wrinkly grayish looking skin and a bald head. He was wearing a long brownish cloak, and some sort of tank on his back that was connected to a breathing mechanism that he was wearing around his mouth. In short, this…man…was absolutely terrifying.

He remained silent for a moment while he looked around the room. It looked like he was looking for something in particular. When it seemed like he couldn't find what he was looking for, he finally spoke again…

"Where is _Bruce Wayne_?" he spat out; saying Bruce's name like it caused him physical pain.

I let out a gasp. He was looking for Bruce; and Bruce had just run off into the crowd! Did he know that this man was coming for him?

"Shh, Ms. King; it'll be alright," Alfred whispered; but it wasn't. This creepy monster of a man had heard me gasp. His eyes were now targeting me; tearing a hole through my soul. Bruce was right…this would be a night that I would never forget…


	15. Chapter 15

"Ahh, Ms. Karleigh King," the creepy man said as he slowly walked over to me. I held on tightly to Alfred and Mr. Fox. The creepy man stopped right in front of our hiding spot. He started to reach out with these long fingers which made his hands look almost claw-like; right before he grabbed me something swooped down from the ceiling, knocking down the monster that was right in front of me.

It was Batman. Batman had saved me again, and tears of relief rushed to my eyes immediately. Batman would save us all from this monster looking of a man.

"Who are you?" Batman questioned the monster, as they both stood up and started to circle one another.

"My name is Karl Hellfern, but you, _Batman_, may refer to me as, Dr. Death," the man said with a cackle. I almost ran out from my hiding spot right then and there once I heard his name. That monster was Karl!

"Karl?!" I yelled as I wiggled my way out of Alfred and Mr. Fox's grip. I stopped instantly, once he turned. It was my first time getting a good look at his face; he looked awful, although I could see a hint of the old Karl in his eyes, but it wasn't enough. He truly was hideous. He looked like someone straight out of a nightmare.

"Karleigh," his voice seemed to soften slightly as he took a small step towards me. I couldn't stop the automatic flinch my body took in response to his movement towards me.

"Karl, what…what happened to you?" I asked truly saddened.

My question seemed to set off his built up rage. "_You!_" he pointed his finger at me and screamed in that terrifying voice of his. "I did this for _you_! This happened because of _you_!" he screamed again while taking quicker steps towards me.

I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing seemed to come out. I was too scared to move; too scared to do anything. Right as he reached me, Karl suddenly was taken to the ground; Batman had jumped on him from behind.

"Get out of here," Batman ordered me in his deep demanding voice. It took me a moment, but I quickly nodded and rushed towards Alfred and Mr. Fox, so I could help get them out as well.

"_NO!_" Karl, who was now Dr. Death, screamed as he threw Batman off of his back. "_She's mine,_" Dr. Death said firmly as he continued his way to try to reach me. I backed away as far as I could, until my back was against a wall. Just as quickly as I moved away though, Batman was back, pulling Dr. Death around so they would be face-to-face.

"_Batman_," Dr. Death growled, "if this is how you want to play it…I've set up machines randomly throughout this building that will release a toxic gas in about 3 minutes, killing _everyone_ in this building," Dr. Death said sinisterly, while taking another step towards me again, "so you can either, come after me," he said as he finally reached me and grabbed me firmly around the waist, "and save the girl, or you can stay here and save these…_people_. The people who have condemned you; who have cast you out…after _everything_ you've done for them. So, what will it be?" he asked before letting out his deep bone shivering laugh and spraying some sort of fog out of his machine.

I couldn't control my coughing due to all the smoke around us. I could feel myself being carried, but that didn't matter because I cared about right now was struggling to breathe. If I didn't get fresh air soon, I didn't know what would happen. I could feel myself slipping into darkness as I struggled for my last breaths.


	16. Chapter 16

I awakened slowly in pitch black darkness. Gradually, I tried to sit up, but I felt like I just couldn't. My body was stiff and all I wanted to do was stretch. There was no telling how long I had been asleep. I tried to sit up once more, but this time I was not stopped by my body…I was stopped by a wooden board above me.

I moved around a little more, warming up my muscles. I pushed harder against the wooden board but it didn't budge. Panic started to overtake my body as I kicked and screamed, trying to break the board. I punched, scratched, pressed, everything I could to move the board, but still nothing. I tried my best to calm down once I realized there was nothing I could do. I took a couple of deep breaths, but I was quickly silenced by the sound of that bone shiver laughter.

"_Well well, I'm glad to see you're awake,"_ Karl's new, horrid voice spoke out of nowhere, "you may be wondering where you are. Well, _Karleigh, my sweet_, you are buried…_alive_, 10 feet underground somewhere on the outskirts of Gotham. I hope your precious _Batman_ will get to you soon or else your oxygen tank will run out and there will be no more air left for you, my dear," he let out another laugh. "I'm sorry it had to end this way, Karleigh, but if you would have just paid me a little more attention…if I had just been _good enough_ for you, none of this would have ever happened…I want to end this tape by giving you one last warning…you might want to control your breathing, because the harder you breathe, Karleigh, _the faster you'll die_," he cackled before I heard a click, ending the message.

This was it…this is how I would die. I tried my best not to freak out; taking short but quick breaths. This was how it was going to be before I died. Alone. Cold. Dark. Already in my coffin. Bruce would never know what happened to me…my family and friends…no one would know…no one…except _Karl_.

Tears stung my eyes as the thought of loneliness crossed my mind. This was my worst fear…not being buried alive, I'm not claustrophobic. My biggest fear was to die alone…and this was it…

Batman would never be able to find me…he couldn't save me this time. This time I was all on my own…and I would surely die. I decided to close my eyes and try to relax every muscle in my body. I wanted to fall asleep; I wanted to slip into unconsciousness so I could stop worrying.

Once my body was relaxed, I tried to ease my mind by singing softly to myself. Soon, my worries had gone away and I slipped into that familiar, comfortable darkness.

My sleeping didn't last long as I was awakened by the feeling of being choked. There was no one else in the coffin with me, but the air was starting to run out. Unconsciousness was quickly coming back to me, but this time I wouldn't be able to wake up…


	17. Chapter 17

Hello my dearest readers! I am in the best mood tonight because 1 - people have been leaving so many more comments and they just make my day (really they do!) and 2 - my football team just won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Roll Tide Roll!!! (sorry if I offended any of you lovelies, but I am a huge Alabama fan hehe) Oh well, I hope you like this chapter and please leave me some awesome comments! =) Love yall!!!

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I awoke with a jolt; breathing heavily and coughing. I slowly sat up thanks to someone's help. I looked around to see that I was sitting on the ground next to Batman. He seemed to be watching my every move. "Are you alright?" his deep scratchy voice sounded unusually concerned. All I could do was nod at the moment while I tried to regain my composure.

"Are you breathing alright?" he asked me softly. I nodded, while looking around. Across from us was a huge hole in the ground. I leaned over to look down into it; it was very deep, but I could still see the home-made coffin at the bottom of the pit with an oxygen tank strapped to it. Batman put his arm around my waist to pull me closer into him and away from the hole.

"Was I…" I whispered, "…was I in there?" I could barely get out my question as I turned to face him. Batman didn't say a word. I wanted to insist that he answer me, but for some reason I just couldn't seem to speak.

"Karleigh," he whispered, his voice seemed almost gentle now, as he pulled me closer into his armor plated body and lightly lifted my chin forcing me to look him in the eyes. His brown eyes seemed so soft and caring.

"_You are ok now_," Batman said firmly and slowly. Realization came slowly to me but soon I broke down into sobs. I held on tightly to Batman as I cried harder and harder; I had never been so scared in my entire life. The memories of being locked in that dark, small, coffin rushed back to me. I looked down and saw the bruising on my hands and legs from all kicking and punching I did while trying to break the top board.

"I'm here now, Karleigh, this will_ not_ happen to you again," I heard Batman whisper into my ear. For a moment, I relaxed feeling safe in the dark knight's arms…the same comfort that I felt with Bruce…_Bruce!_

"What about Bruce? Bruce Wayne? Where is he? Is he alright?" I questioned quickly, pulling out of Batman's arms. I remembered that Karl was asking for Bruce earlier tonight…there's no telling where he was…or what happened to him.

"Bruce Wayne is fine," Batman said confidently, as he took a couple of steps away from me. It was weird, but as soon as Batman had left my immediate company, I felt unsafe; vulnerable. It was the same feeling I had when Bruce almost left me the night after the two men robbed my apartment. I felt like I needed this man.

"Where is he?" I asked as I followed Batman. "He's safe. That's all you need to know," Batman said softly.

"_No_," I countered firmly, "that is _not _all I need to know. _Where is he?_" I demanded. I heard Batman sigh as he turned around to face me.

"He's somewhere where no one will harm him," Batman said bluntly.

I felt my heart break as soon as Batman's words left his lips. Bruce didn't know where I was. He didn't know if I was alive or dead. What if Batman hadn't gotten to me on time? Would Bruce even care if I would have died?

I couldn't help but let my hand mindlessly wondered up to the diamond necklace that Bruce had just given to me earlier tonight. Batman seemed to notice my abrupt silence.

"Come on, you need to get someplace safe as well," Batman said as he took off his cape and wrapped it around my shoulders. I didn't respond. All I cared about was the fact that I was out in the middle of nowhere with some stranger who dresses up like a bat, while my boyfriend was off hiding only God knows where…


	18. Chapter 18

It didn't take long for Batman's tanker of a car to show up. "Do you trust me?" he asked after he buckled me up in my seat. This question caused me to worry. Why did he need to know if I trusted him or not? What was he planning on doing with me?

"Uh, I guess," but to be honest, I really wasn't sure. True, he did save my life about three times already, but I wasn't quite sure how sane this man actually was. The more I thought about it though, the more his sanity really didn't matter to me anymore; he was all I had right now.

"I will have to administer a small shot into your arm," Batman said calmly as he opened a compartment near his seat. I instantly reacted by getting as far away from him as possible, while still remaining inside the car.

"_No you will not_," I said firmly as I leaned in fear against my side of the tank. Who did this man think he was? I had just been kidnapped and locked inside a coffin to be buried alive, and he wanted to give me a shot filled some kind of fluid that I had no idea what it was…yeah, right!

"Karleigh, I know you're scared, but you have to trust me," he said so softly that I almost gave in right then and there. He pulled out a small syringe then turned to face me. Once again, I couldn't help but notice his eyes; they seemed so familiar, but yet so different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

"What is it?" I asked hesitantly. A look of relief washed over the visible features of Batman's face.

"It's a small dose of a sedative," he said calmly. I could tell he was trying to be as gentle as possible with me.

"I…why?" I couldn't really think of anything else to say at this point. I could either refuse Batman's offer of safety and go out into the great unknown where there was a good chance I could be kidnapped again, or I could take this drug that would cause me to go unconscious and just have to put all my faith into a man who dressed up like a bat to go around fighting crime.

"I cannot let you see where we are going; for both the safety of yourself and mine," Batman said sincerely. I let out a deep sigh before my answer…

"Ok," I said, defeated. I held out my arm for him to give me the shot. I couldn't believe what I was actually doing, but I had to have faith…and besides, right now in my book, Batman was the lesser of two evils.

"It should take affect soon; just relax. _You're safe_…," were the last words I heard him speak before I was out like a light.

* * *

I groaned slightly due to the throbbing pain going on inside my head. I opened my eyes to, thankfully, a dimly lit room that was huge but pretty much empty except for Batman's tanker of a car and a few monitors.

I slowly sat up, but quickly had to lie back down due to the rush of nausea that came over me.

"Rest; it's common to feel a little sick when waking up. It'll go away soon," I heard the now familiar voice of Batman.

"Where am I?" I groaned while keeping my eyes closed and breathing deeply. I could feel Batman's presence getting closer to my cold metal bed.

"Someplace safe," I heard him say from above me. I slowly opened my eyes to find that Batman was leaning over me. Quickly, thoughts of Bruce came rushing back to me. Batman had said the same thing about Bruce; that he was someplace safe.

"Is Bruce here?" I asked softly. My head was still hurting, but it was easing up faster than I expected; soon I would be perfectly fine.

"You don't need to worry about Bruce Wayne," as Batman spoke I couldn't help but notice that there was a growing blood stain on his suit in between the armor plates that protected his abdominals. I instinctively reached my hand out to touch the liquid, and sure enough my fingertips became stained crimson.

"What happened to you?" I whispered as I looked up at him. He looked down at his injury and then at my hand.

"Nothing," he said as he reached across the table to get a towel just so he could wipe my hand clean. I slowly forced myself to sit up.

"If it was _'nothing' _then why are you bleeding?" I asked him firmly. I was starting to get use to this back-and-forth thing we had going on. I was also becoming more and more confident that this man wouldn't hurt me. After all the times he had saved me and even after he handled me while I was unconscious…I was still safe.

I swung my legs over the side of the metal bed I was lying on. "What do you think you're doing?" Batman questioned me. I ignored him as I placed my two feet on the ground and stood…with a little support from the bed behind me.

"Sit," I ordered him. He actually looked a bit taken back.

"No; there are other things I must attend to now that I know you will be fine," he said as he started to walk away.

I really didn't have the strength just yet to go after him so I called out, "You won't be any good if you're hurt like that. Please, let me take a look at it."

I noticed that he slowed, but didn't stop. "No," was all he said as he kept walking away from me and towards his car.

I couldn't help it…I couldn't let him go out to fight like that…

I let go of the metal bed that I was using to support myself, and took my first couple of steps towards him. I started out a little slow and wobbly but soon picked up the pace. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got in arm's reach to grab his cape, causing him to rapidly turn around.

The surprise of his reaction caught me off guard causing me to lose my balance, but luckily Batman was there to catch me before I fell. I saw a look of pain as his body pressed against mine. His injury was causing him pain…and he was just ignoring it.

"You're going back to sleep," Batman said sternly as he picked me up to carry me back to that cold metal bed.

"Please," I said as he sat me down, "let me look at it. You can keep your mask on if that's what you're worried about. You just need to bandage that up before you lose too much blood," I said softly this time.

Batman didn't say anything; he just looked into my eyes. Maybe he was looking to see if I was telling the truth or not about his mask, but I could see his expression softening.

"I saw your face when you grabbed me…_you're hurt_," for some unknown reason I was starting to become emotional. I didn't want to see this guy get hurt anymore. I wanted to take care of him…I owed it to him after everything he had done for me.

"Please. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of something I did…or in this case, _did not_, do. I put my trust in you, now it's your turn to trust me," I said sincerely.

"Fine," was all Batman said as he started to undo his suit…

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So this was definitely my most favorite chapter that I've written so far ;) hehehe I hope you're enjoying the story and please leave a comment to let me know what yall are thinking! Love yall!


	19. Chapter 19

"You don't have to take off your mask," I told Batman as he lowered the upper part of his armored suit. I could tell that he was in pain as he winced due to his suit rubbing against the wound.

"I wasn't planning on it," he said through gritted teeth. Normally, I wouldn't let someone talk to me like that, but I let it slide this time because I knew he was suffering with the pain.

Finally, he had gotten his suit just low enough where the gash was in sight.

"Lie down," I ordered him. He did as I asked, and laid down on the cold metal bed that I had just been on not too long ago. It was so weird to see just half of Batman's body revealed. It was the first time I'd bet anyone had gotten a look at something other than his chin and dark eyes.

He was in such good shape that I suddenly felt ashamed of my body. This man had muscles of steel, and I couldn't help but stare for a couple of moments until I realized how many bruises he actually had on his body. My heart ached for this poor man, and my respect for him grew tenfold.

Batman remained silent as I looked over his chest. I stood next to him as my hand found the wound on his lower left abdomen. The wound was gushing blood; way more than I had anticipated and way more than his suit let on.

"You're going to need stitches. This is way too much," I told him seriously. I was in total shock that he could lose so much blood and still be walking around like nothing was wrong.

"I have the materials to do it myself," he informed me as he tried to sit up.

"_No, sir,_" I told him as I put my hand on his chest forcing him to lie back down.

"Tell me where they are and I will get it. I can do this," in my pre-education classes, everyone was forced to take basic health courses in case of classroom emergencies; and boy was this an emergency. I wasn't about to let this crazy man stitch up his own wound.

To my surprise Batman agreed and told me where to find the materials. I came back to his side and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I was about to do this…

"Do you have anything to numb the pain?" I asked him prior to starting. Before giving me his answer, he had the nerve to _smirk _at me.

"No; helps me learn from my mistakes," he said like it was nothing. This man was starting to irritate me…did he _like _pain?

"If you weren't hurt…I'd…I'd hit you," I told him truthfully, and to my surprise…_he chuckled_, and despite everything that has happened in the past couple of hours…_I smiled_. Quickly, though, I brushed off the grin; it was time to get serious.

"You ready?" I asked him. "Yes," was all he said.

I needed to clean the wound first. As I was cleaning the gash with an alcohol soaked cotton ball, I noticed there was something hard inside the wound.

"_What happened to you?_" I asked as I pushed lightly against the wound again to see if the object was still there; sure enough, it was.

"He cut through my suit," Batman said with gritted teeth. I moved my hand as gently as possible so I wouldn't cause him any more pain.

"Well, I see that, but something's…something's in here," I told, referring to his wound.

"I'm going to need you to pull it out, Karleigh," Batman said seriously. I shook my head. I was never trained to _remove_ something from the body.

"No, no; that I _cannot_ do," I told him as I backed away slightly. Batman reached out and grabbed my hand to pull me closer.

"Yes you can; and I need you to," as he spoke, I got closer to examine the wound more thoroughly. I could see that the pressure I applied earlier seemed to have pushed the object closer to the entrance of the gash.

I took a deep breath, "Brace yourself," I whispered. I could hear Batman, as he too, inhaled deeply before I stuck my index finger and thumb into the open slash in Batman's side.

I made sure I had a firm grip on whatever was lodged into him before I very slowly started to pull it out. I took a breath of relief as soon as the object was completely out of Batman's body. I realized that it was a piece of glass as I laid the object down, next to the other materials I needed.

"He stabbed you with glass and broke it off into your body?" I asked, horrified as I applied pressure to the bleeding wound. Batman had been walking around with glass in his body for hours probably.

"Yes," he let out the breath he had been holding in, "that is why you must remain here. This, Dr. Death man wants to _hurt_ you, Karleigh," my heart dropped. I couldn't think about this right now. I needed to concentrate on stitching up Batman's side and then I'll let myself worry later.

I slowly stitched up Batman's wound, asking him every now and then if he needed a break; he never took one. I had completely ignored his earlier statement about how Karl wanted to hurt me; if I had concentrated too much on it then my hand wouldn't have been as steady as I needed it to be.

"You don't have to pretend like it doesn't hurt," I told him softly, trying to distract myself from my own thoughts. Silence…

A couple seconds later I heard him release a gasp of air he'd been holding in. My eyes started to tear up as I thought about all the pain that this man had to endure, for people he didn't even know…for people who didn't even like him.

"All done," I said with a soft smile and giving Batman's hand a gentle squeeze. I put a hand on his arm and helped him slowly sit up.

"Thank you," he said softly while looking into my eyes.

"You're welcome," I said softly before quickly looking away. I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes that were about to fall. The tears only became worse as thoughts of Bruce rushed to mind…what if he wasn't safe? What if he wasn't here because he was hurt like Batman was?

"What's wrong?" Batman asked as he stood up from the metal bed and pulled up his suit.

"I'm sorry; I'm just worried about Bruce," I sniffled, "you say he's safe but you don't know that for sure. What if he needs me and I'm not there?" I asked as the tears started to flow freely.

"Karleigh," Batman said softly as he took a step towards me, "Bruce is fine," he assured me as his gloved hand made its way up to my cheek to wipe away my tears. I was a bit taken back by Batman's sudden tenderness towards me.

"Why isn't he trying to find me? Why is he just hiding? If you weren't here I'd be out trying to find him," I whimpered out as I sat down on the metal bed. I could tell I was starting to make him uncomfortable with my questions, but at the moment I really didn't care. I was getting tired of having to be strong. An emotional breakdown was coming; I could feel it.

Batman came closer until he stood directly in front of me. I looked down at my fingers, not really wanting Batman to see me crying like a child, until he placed a finger under my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Bruce Wayne is worried sick about you," he said softly. My heart leaped. Batman knew where Bruce was and how he was doing.

"How do you know?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes too high. Batman hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Bruce Wayne is in a safe place that I provided for him. I cannot have you two hiding together because if Dr. Death found one spot then he would have both of you; but I can assure you that Mr. Wayne is safe and he is worried sick about you," as Batman finished he placed his gloved hand tenderly against my cheek once more.

"Can I see him?" I asked hopefully. Before Batman had a chance to answer me, his computer monitors came to life with some sort of alarm.

"I have to go," he said urgently as he started to walk towards his tanker. I hopped up to race after him.

"But…" I had so many things I wanted to say, but I couldn't even get two words out before he hopped into his car.

"_Stay here,_" was all he said before closing the door and racing off to save Gotham once more.

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Hey everybody! So, I'm writing this part to vent my anger/possibly get an answer from someone. Once your story is put into a community by someone how can you get it out? If that's even possible? Some bitter girl put a story of mine into a community that is just for hating on 'Other Characters'. I looked at her profile and I hate to say it, but she's just a hater; although I do think it's funny how she hates 'Other Characters' but yet she's made a whole community for them, therefore spreading the likelihood of more people _reading the stories_…stupid girl. Anyways, if anyone knows would you please tell me? Thank you and I love y'all! P.S. Thank you for all my reviewers =) y'all are the greatest!


	20. Chapter 20

Thank y'all so much for everyone's love and support! Y'all are the best! I've decided just to ignore that whole community thing, I just had to vent my anger last chapter and let y'all know what I was feeling, but everyone has made it better, so thank you =) I hope you like this chapter, and to answer a very frequently asked question (but trying not to give too much away)...Karleigh will find out Batman's identity, I just don't want to tell how/when ;) Love y'all!!!

* * *

After Batman had been gone for about 5 minutes I decided it was time to get up and wonder around the huge, yet empty room for awhile. It didn't take long before I got bored, because there wasn't really anything I could look at. Batman must have known better than to leave all his stuff in the open for me to see; although I did manage to find a switch for the hydraulic lift out of here…wherever I was.

I wondered around for a couple more minutes, feeling good to stretch my legs. In an instant, Batman's wall of computer monitors went off, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. I was still a little shaken up from earlier. Slowly I walked over to the monitors to see what was going on.

The monitors showed Karl terrorizing some poor people who were at a bank.

"I want all the money you got!" he demanded to the people. The men hesitantly obeyed while the women willingly threw their purses away so they could shield their children from the monster in the room. After Karl had gotten what he wanted from the people he moved on to the bank tellers. It didn't take long to collect all the money that he wanted.

_Where was Batman? Why was it taking him so long to get there? I hope he's ok._

Sure enough, as Karl was walking out of the bank, he was taken to the ground by a kick from Batman; but before Batman had time to make his next move, Karl sprayed him with some sort of gas from his machine. Batman yelled out in pain as he jumped off of Karl.

"You like my new mixture, _Batman_?" Karl asked in his harsh voice. "It's designed to make your internal organs feel like they're on fire. _I designed it just for you_," Karl spat out his words bitterly.

Karl took advantage of Batman's situation by kicking him in his stomach exactly where his stitches were. Batman screamed out in pain again as he struggled to breathe. Karl gave a heckling laugh as he took the opportunity to run.

My body became filled with all kinds of emotions: anger, sympathy, sadness, worry…I couldn't decide on just one.

My heart ached for Batman. I wanted to do something; I wanted to make the pain go away. If there was something I could do; _anything I could do_, I would do it.

It didn't take long before Batman pulled out a syringe from his belt and stuck it in his own arm, I guess giving himself the antidote. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched him get up, hope into his car and chase after Karl.

It wasn't long until Batman had chased Karl down into some rundown old factory. My stomach turned at the sight; I immediately recognized the building as Karl's old experimental factory. He had brought me there one day a couple of months ago. It was in pretty bad shape then, but nothing like it was now. He had bought it so he could test his chemical experiments without being bothered by anyone.

"Well, well, _Batman_, so glad you could make it to my humble abode," Karl breathed heavily, as Batman walked in. The inside of the building looked straight out of a horror movie. It was dark, the walls seemed to be shaking and there were huge tubs of boiling chemicals everywhere.

"What do you want?" Batman demanded. It was weird to hear his deep threatening voice after all the time we've recently spent together. His voice was still deep while talking to me, but it was so much gentler than it was now.

"I told you; I want _justice_," Karl said in a deathly voice. He was standing on a catwalk high above Batman.

"What wrongdoing was done to you that you feel you deserve justice?" Batman questioned sternly. They both were standing very still; it was like the calm before the storm.

"_Karleigh King_," Karl spat out. A sick feeling stabbed me in my stomach. Was I really the cause of all this?

"_What about her?_" Batman demanded threateningly. Karl paused, tilted his head and then smiled the most sickening grin I had ever seen.

"You have…_feelings_, for her; don't you, _Batman?_" Karl teased Batman. Was it true? Did Batman really have feelings for me, or was it because I had just taken care of him so he was still in protective mode?

Batman remained silent, which caused Karl to let out his bone shivering laugh.

"_Karleigh belonged to me!_" Karl quickly shouted like a madman. "Karleigh was mine, before…_Bruce Wayne_ came along. All he had to do was wave his money in her face, and she was gone," Karl sneered.

_That's not true! I would like Bruce even if he didn't have any money!_

"So, I tried to invent something…a chemical that would make me famous…famous, just like _Bruce Wayne_," Karl continued, "if I were rich and famous, surely I could get her back…_but this happened!_" Karl screamed once more, referring to his ghastly appearance.

"I blew myself _half to hell_ for that woman! And now she can't even look at me!" Karl jumped down from the catwalk, just to land right in front of Batman.

Karl let out a laugh before speaking, "Even you fell for her charm, didn't you?" Batman remained silent as Karl circled him.

This was insane…this crazy man was _obsessed _with me.

"That's fine," Karl snickered, "because once you're taken care of, _Bruce Wayne_ is next; then, Karleigh will be _mine_," as soon as the words came out of Karl's mouth, Batman attacked. The two men were fighting like crazy; punches thrown, kicks kicked, but it was easy to tell who was winning; as long as Karl didn't spray any gases then Batman would surely win.

But just as if Karl could hear my thoughts he sprayed some sort of liquid into Batman's eyes, causing him to fall down in pain. Karl stood over him laughing his evil laugh.

I took a deep breath as I stood up. I couldn't watch this anymore. I wouldn't let Batman or Bruce be harmed because of me. If Karl wanted me, then he could have me…


	21. Chapter 21

I quickly raced over to the lift, that I had found earlier, and activated it. I knew exactly where Karl's factory was; now if I could only figure out where _I_ was. It wasn't long until I reached the surface, only to find that I was at a local harbor construction site. Fortunately, I knew my way around Gotham pretty well, so I was soon on my way.

In actuality it didn't take very long to get to Karl's factory, but to me it seemed like an eternity. My stomach was in knots, and my hands were sweaty and shaking as I stood in front of the building. I knew what I had to do, but my nerves were starting to get the best of me. I heard a yell of pain from inside the building; I immediately recognized it as Batman's. That was all the motivation I needed…

I pushed the door open slightly, luckily without making a sound, and I quietly sneaked into the building; slowly making my way into a corner hiding spot. I hid behind a group of crates that were stacked up on top of one other.

"What's wrong, Batman? _Are you as blind as a bat?_" I heard Karl's evil voice heckling Batman. I could feel the adrenaline start to pump through my veins as my heartbeat increased. I needed to save Batman; I owed it to him.

I peeked slightly around one of the crates to see that Karl still had Batman lying on the floor. Batman was bleeding from his side once more, and trying his hardest to stand. Every time though that Batman had one foot on the ground, Karl would kick him back down. My eyes began to tear up as I whispered a quite prayer of strength for what I was about to do.

I held my head high as I walked out from my hiding spot. "_Stop it, Karl!_" I screamed right as he was about to kick Batman again. Both of their heads shot up instantly. I was thankful that my appearance would give Batman a little time to recuperate.

"_Karleigh_," Karl said with his sickening grin, "it's so _nice _to see you," Karl said as he began walking towards me.

"I wish I could say the same," I sneered. To my surprise, Karl laughed.

"_My sweet, Karleigh_," Karl whispered as he finally reached me and stroked a strand of hair behind my ear. I quickly bit my tongue so my mouth wouldn't get me in trouble.

"What are you doing here?" Karl asked as he lowered his face so he could stare directly into my eyes. Even his eyes had been changed by his accident; they use to be a soft brown, but now they seemed almost black.

"You wanted me, well here I am, you got me. Now leave Batman alone," I said trying to put up my best front. As Karl grinned, I had to fight my body not to shiver.

"Are you aware that he has feelings for you?" Karl asked softly as he touched my shoulder and lightly ran his fingertips down my arm. My body responded by not allowing me to breathe.

I remained silent, just as Batman had done when Karl accused him of having feelings for me.

"Are those feelings returned?" Karl questioned as he began to circle me like a vulture. Once more I remained silent.

"Does _Bruce Wayne _know about your little affair with the flying rat?" Karl spat out at me. I couldn't control myself any longer; I let my hand fly and slapped Karl right in the face.

Karl responded by roughly grabbing my arm that had slapped him and pulling me over to a tub of boiling chemicals. I screamed and pulled against him, hoping that I could get away but his grip on me remained firm.

Just then I remembered Batman; I turned my head to see if he was still lying where Karl had left him. He was gone; leaving only a blood stain as proof that he had been there in the first place.

I felt a sense of relief, but at the same time a rush of terror. I was glad that Batman could get away to save himself, but I was terrified by the fact of dying by being pushed into a tub of chemicals.

Karl began dragging me up the ladder of the catwalk that he had been on earlier. He pushed me up to the top causing me to fall down on the walkway and scrap my hands.

I felt myself being roughly pulled up by the back of my shirt. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Bats," Karl teased as he began tying my arms to some chain that was hanging from the ceiling.

"He's gone Karl," I said trying to calm him down. Karl let out a cackling laugh.

"Oh no m'dear, he's not. _He's waiting_," Karl said as he looked around the room. Once Karl felt he was safe he began to turn the crank next to him, causing me to be lifted off the catwalk.

I screamed as I felt my body being lifting off the ground and going higher and higher. I took a deep breath before looking down to see that he had lifted me directly above the boiling chemicals. Tears of fear instantly came back to my eyes, and this time I let them flow freely.

"Come anywhere near me, Batty, and your whore's going into the pot," Karl sneered loudly. I continued to cry softly, ignoring the fact that Karl was insulting me. At this point I didn't care anymore. Memories of my family, friends, and Bruce came rushing back to me. I could still feel the necklace that Bruce had given me, dangling around my neck. I wish I could look at it one last time.

I screamed loudly in fear as I felt the chain lower quickly, but not very far.

"If you don't hurry up, _Batman_, soon she'll look like me," Karl laughed. I didn't want Karl to use me as bait to get to Batman. I was doing this to save Batman…and Bruce.

"_Just do it, you coward!_" I screamed as loud as I could. I screamed once again as I felt the chain drop just as quickly, but much lower.

"She doesn't have much time left, Bat-Brains," Karl said while looking around the room. I think he was getting…bored.

"_Stop_," I heard the deep familiar voice come from where Karl was; Batman had landed on the catwalk, right next to Karl.

"Nuh huh, Batman; come any closer and she dies," Karl said as he kept his hand on the crank that controlled the chain I was on.

"What do you want?" Batman asked more calmly than I would have expected.

"_Bruce Wayne_," Karl breathed out with a sneer on his face.

"If I give you Bruce Wayne, you'll let her go? Free to leave here?" Batman questioned. My stomach dropped. _What was he doing?_

"Batman, don't! _Please?_" I begged through my tears. He didn't even flinch. Karl grinned widely.

"You have my word," Karl said, still wearing his grin.

"Let her go first," Batman said, still ignoring me.

"_No!_" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Sorry, Batty; I can't do that. How do I know you'll give me Bruce Wayne after I let her go?" Karl asked before he gave one crank to lower me about an inch.

"_You have my word,_" Batman quoted Karl. Karl hesitated for a moment, but soon I felt myself being lifted up towards the ceiling, away from the boiling chemicals.

"That's all you get at the moment…Now, go get _Bruce Wayne_," Karl said sickeningly.

I watched through my tears as Batman stood still in his place.

"_Go!_" Karl screamed. Batman stood in his place once more, but I watched as his hands slowly went towards his mask.

Batman undid the buckles on the side of his mask and then slowly pulled it off revealing…_Bruce Wayne_…


	22. Chapter 22

The room erupted with the sound of Karl's evil laughter. I, myself, felt as if I had just been kicked in the stomach. I couldn't breathe; I couldn't think…the only thing I could do was stare. Surely my eyes were playing tricks on me, and this man who dressed up as Batman only _looked_ like Bruce.

"_Bruce Wayne_ is _Batman!_ Oh, this day couldn't _get_ any better!" Karl almost giggled delightfully. "I can kill two birds with one stone!...or in this case, two _Bats!_" Karl screamed as he lunged towards Bruce.

Bruce quickly reacted by catching Karl and throwing him backwards onto the ground. Bruce stood firmly in his place as Karl began to laugh softly.

"That's fine," Karl said as he stood, "because _I _have something of yours, _Brucey_," Karl threatened as he walked over to the crank that controlled the chain I was hanging from. Karl placed his hand on it…

"Leave her out of this," Bruce said in his normal voice. It was then when I realeased the breath of air I had been holding. It really was Bruce. Bruce Wayne was Batman...

"_Leave her out of this?! She's what I'm doing all this for!"_ Karl exclaimed, throwing his arms up dramatically. He firmly grabbed the lever to the crank, "And if I can't have her," my stomach tightened from fear…I knew what was coming, "_nobody will,_" and with that Karl released the lever.

I screamed as I felt myself falling, but that sensation didn't last long; it was quickly replaced with the feeling of being hit by a train, then a shooting pain down my arm and not being able to breathe.

I opened my eyes to find that I had just landed on the ground…and Bruce was on top of me. He had saved me by jumping off the catwalk and intervening with my falling. Instead of falling straight downwards into the vat of chemicals, we fell directly next to it.

This was the first chance that I had gotten to actually get a good look at Bruce's face…it really was him, and he looked so worried. He still had the black coloring around his eyes that he used while wearing his Batman mask; and to see those both together, the dark eyes of Batman but the soft look of concern on Bruce's face, it was just all too surreal.

"Are you alright?" he whispered in his concerned voice. I shook my head.

"I think my arm is broken," I said while trying to push him off of me with my good arm. I was thankful that he saved me, but I couldn't breathe with his weight on top of me.

"Get out of here now," he said quickly as he got off of me and helped me up.

"_No!_" Karl screamed from above us. He ran towards the laddered and began rushing down it.

"I'm not leaving you here alone," I said firmly. Despite how badly my arm was hurting, I couldn't leave Bruce like this.

"Karleigh, _go_," Bruce tried to order me. I remained silent, "Now is not the time to argue with me _Karleigh_," he said right before Karl reached us.

Bruce punched Karl directly in his face as he rushed towards us. "_GO!_" Bruce yelled as he pointed towards the door, never taking his eyes off of Karl. I was torn between listening to him, so I couldn't cause any more trouble or staying here in hiding waiting until I could help again.

I started to run towards my earlier hiding spot behind the crates; I couldn't leave just yet. I hid there safely while I watched Bruce and Karl battle it out. While in hiding I noticed there was a huge pipe next to me with a turning wheel that was labeled "Drainage." I wondered if that was the wheel I could use to drain all the chemicals.

I decided to try; I turned the wheel just slightly and it wasn't long until I heard the sound of liquids being drained.

"No!" I could hear Karl scream from the other side of the room. I peeked out to take a look. I could see Karl standing up, watching his tub of chemicals being slowly drained. He turn turned his attention towards me.

"_You!_" he screamed as he rushed towards me. I backed away in fear. A loud popping sound filled the room as I watched something be shot at Karl and wrap around him, tying him up. I heard another loud shot, and then Karl was quickly lifted off the ground and hanging from the ceiling, just like how I had been. Karl was finally captured.

Bruce let out a deep breath and slowly fell to the floor.

"Bruce!" I screamed as I ran towards him. I plopped down on the floor next to him and lightly caressed his cheek.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" I asked worriedly. He nodded slightly. I examined his face while waiting for him to speak. He had cuts and bruises all over, and his side was still bloody from his stab wound earlier. The stitches must have popped when Karl kicked him.

"I'm fine; just exhausted," he said. I nodded, but knew he was hurting much more than he let on…just like I was doing. I helped him sit up with my good arm.

"Come on, let's go home," I said as I helped him stand.

"There's still one more thing I need to do," he said as he began walked over to the ladder of the catwalk.

"Bruce? What are you doing? Let's go," I almost pleaded. He turned around and held up one index finger, indicating the 'one moment' sign.

I sighed, not having a good feeling about this. I watched as Bruce slowly climbed the ladder then walked over to where Karl was hanging.

"_What are you doing, Wayne?_" Karl asked as he watched Bruce. As Bruce tried to get closer to Karl, Karl began spinning his chord round and round, so Bruce wouldn't be able to reach him.

"Don't do that, Karl," Bruce warned seriously. Karl chuckled as he began to do it faster and faster, acting like a little child. This man was _truly _insane.

Just then I could hear the pipe that Karl's rope was attached to start to making a creaking sound. I looked up to see the old rusty pipe bending.

"Karl, stop!" I yelled from the ground, but he didn't listen. He began to rock back and forth while spinning…

Karl laughed as the pipe that had been holding him up broke, sending him directly into the now empty tub of chemicals. His laughing was silenced with a loud 'thud' sound. I quickly turned away from it, not wanting to see anything at all.

Moments later, I let out a scream of fear as I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"It's just me," I heard a familiar voice whisper as I turned around to see Bruce.

"Is he…?" I didn't want to finish my question. Sure, I hated the man and he did try to kill me, but I never wanted to see anyone…die.

Bruce didn't answer.

"_Let's go home_," he said softly as he gently wrapped one arm around my shoulders.


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning I awoke in a bed that was not mine, and in a room that I've never been in before. I groaned in pain as I sat up. My arm was killing me and I struggled to remember the previous night's events. I then took the time to take in my surroundings. The bedroom I was in was beautifully decorated with soft crimson walls and a cream colored trim.

It wasn't a moment later when I heard a soft knock on the door. Before I could answer, the door was immediately opened and I watched as Bruce's butler, Alfred entered the room carrying a tray. He made his way over to my bed without making eye contact with me, probably assumed I was still asleep.

"Alfred?" I managed to squeak out. My voice was ragged as I tried to speak. Alfred jumped as he heard my voice, almost causing him to spill the contents on the tray. "Ms. King," Alfred gasped as he placed the tray down on the bedside table, "you're awake," he said happily as he composed himself. I nodded, "Where am I?" I managed to mumble out once more. Alfred handed me a glass of water from the tray, "Here, drink something," he offered kindly before answering, "You're at Wayne Manner. Master Bruce brought you two back here after the other night's events," he explained.

I eagerly gulped down the water before speaking once more, "Other night?" I asked worriedly. What was going on? "Yes, I'm afraid you've been asleep for almost a day and a half now. I called a doctor and had him come visit you and Master Bruce after the…_car accident,_" he explained as he motioned to my broken arm.

"Car accident?" I gasped out in fear. Alfred nodded with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, Ms. King, the car accident that broke your arm and caused Master Bruce a few damaging injuries as well," he explained. I thought for a moment before nodding in understanding. Alfred had explained our injuries to the doctor by claiming we were in a car accident.

"Where is Bruce?" I asked as I looked around the room for any sign of him. "I'm afraid that you are the first one to awake, Ms. King. Master Bruce is still unconscious in his bedroom," Alfred explained sadly. I sat up farther in my bed, "Could I go see him?" I asked hopefully. Alfred gave me a soft smile, "Of course, Ms. King," he said as he helped me out of bed and escorted me to Bruce's room.

Alfred opened the door for me as we reached Bruce's room, "I'll give you some privacy," he said softly before leaving me. I took a deep breath before entering Bruce's room. He was lying in bed still sound asleep. I timidly approached him. As I got closer I could see Bruce lying there with his shirt off. With his chest exposed, I could see all the damage done to his well sharpened body. My eyes quickly began to sting with tears.

I softly sat down next to him on his bed and I gently began to trace some of his bruises with my finger. "I'm sorry this happened," I whispered out as a tear escaped my eye. I silently began to cry until I felt something warm against my cheek. I quickly looked up to see Bruce awake and trying to wipe my tears away.

"Bruce!" I gasped in excitement as I gently leaned down to hug him. "I'm so sorry," I whimpered out as I pulled back. Bruce shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Karleigh," he said softly, "if anything I'm sorry. I should have told you I was Batman earlier so you wouldn't have worried so much," he whispered as he took my good hand into his. I shook my head, "Let's not worry about that now," I whispered as I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He smiled softly as he pulled me down next to him.

I laid down beside Bruce as he tenderly wrapped his arms around me. "Don't leave," I heard him whisper as I closed my eyes. "I'm right here," I reassured him as I gently began to stroke his arm. "No," he said firmly causing me to open my eyes once more. I watched his face intently as he eyes softened, "Don't ever leave," he requested, causing me to break out into a smile.

"Never," I said softly before he leaned down and took my lips into a soft, loving kiss.


End file.
